Roto Riteup: September 17, 2015

Well, Chelsea won their Champions League opener, however Arsenal didn’t. I guess that makes it a good-but-not-grand day.

On today’s agenda:
1. Joe Panik placed on 60-day disabled list
2. A two-dinger day for Jayson Werth
3. Joe Kelly’s shoulder issue
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Joe Panik placed on the 60-day disabled list
The Giants ended Panik’s season by placing him on the 60-day DL, citing lower back inflammation. The 24-year-old second baseman was hitting a cool .312/.378/.455 with 37 extra-base hits including eight home runs before being placed on the shelf. I’d expect him to be just fine by the time spring training rolls around next year, and for now there are some solid replacement options available. Javier Baez, Steve Pearce, Delino DeShields Jr., Jonathan Schoop and Chris Coghlan are all available in at least 50 percent of ESPN, CBS and Yahoo! leagues.

A two-dinger day for Jayson Werth
Prince Fielder also cracked a pair of home runs on Wednesday, as did Dustin Pedroia and Thomas Pham, but I find Werth the most interesting. Owner of a modest .234/.316/.410 line on the year, I’m willing to somewhat look past his poor hitting thus far as injuries have derailed the 36-year-old’s season. The fact that over the past 30-days Werth has been on fire and has hit for a .288/.378/.550 line with six home runs helps too. His .321 BABIP over that time frame isn’t too outlandish, and it is below both his .328 career average and .351 2012-14 rate. He’s shifted from the leadoff or No.2 spot to cleanup for five consecutive games over the past week, making him a great candidate to accrue some RBI. Possibly due to his early season struggles, the injuries or the Nationals slide out of playoff contention, Werth is available in 40 percent of CBS leagues as well as over 50 percent of both ESPN and Yahoo! formats.

Joe Kelly’s shoulder issue
It’s possible we’ve seen the last of Kelly this season as the Red Sox ordered an MRI on his right shoulder as he dealt with tightness and fatigue there. The team doesn’t believe the shoulder symptoms are anything too serious, however I’d be very surprised if we saw Kelly take to the mound again in 2015. He’s already tossed a single-season high 153 1/3 innings so on top of the injury possibilities, I would have expected for the club to shut him down anyway. The 27-year-old posted an up and down season across his 25 starts, with nine quality starts spread throughout them. I still see him as a useful stream option in some leagues come next year, but he’s droppable in just about every league format now.

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Streaming Pitching Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers or play DFS, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Kyle Hendricks at PIT (Charlie Morton)
I’m a fan of ground balls and Hendricks generates plenty of em. I like his chances at a quality start and possible a win as the Pirates rate about league average against right-handers. Look to stream Hendricks in 40 percent of CBS settings plus over 80 percent of ESPN or Yahoo! leagues.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Marcus Stroman vs BOS (Rick Porcello)
How the heck is Stroman available in over half of CBS leagues and about 70 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN settings? Stream him. Or pick him up and roster him. But make sure he pitches for you today.